1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a warp mending device capable of feeding a mending yarn from a bobbin to drop wires and a heddle respectively positioned at the portion where one of the warps is broken in the weaving operation so that a loom can be restarted.
2. Prior Art
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 1-192853 discloses a technique for mending a broken warp by connecting a broken warp at the side of the drop wires to the broken warp at the side of the heddles via a mending yarn when the warp is broken between the drop wires and the heddles. However, according to this technique there was a problem that the mending operation cannot be carried out when the warp is broken at the portion adjacent to the drop wires or heddles.
There is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 63-315648 discloses a technique that the yarn is drawn pneumatically between the drop wires and the heddles. However, this technique could not cope with the situation where the warp is broken during the weaving operation since the warp is automatically drawn into the drop wires and the heddles in a looming stage.
It is necessary to draw the mending yarn into a mail of the heddle corresponding to the broken warp at the time that the broken warp is mended. In the drawing operation, a heddle frame corresponding to the broken warp needs to be specified while it is necessary for the drawing means need be relatively positioned relative to the mail of the heddle supported by the heddle which is frame.
Such positioning of the drawing means relative to the mails of the heddles is conventionally effected by stopping the heddle frame at a predetermined shed position and operating the drawing means so that the drawing means and the mails of the heddles are correctly positioned relative to each other.
Inasmuch as the stopping position of the heddle frame produces an error and the stopping positions of a plurality of heddle frames are all different due to the shed size, thereby deteriorating the positioning precision. Furthermore, when the warp line or the shed size is varied, the moving range of the drawing means need to be varied, which complicates the operation. Still furthermore, when the warp line or the shed size is different for each loom, there is a likelihood that the vertical positioning is not effected precisely within a predetermined moving range so that the drawing means cannot be served or used for a plurality of looms.